chairman. He shared the chair with the about-to-become-former Speaker of the House. These people are extremely angry about losing the presidency and furious about not having control of either House.”
“Are you a Republican, Mr… . ?”
“I’d rather not say which party I belong to.”
“Go on, tell me what transpired.”
“Carson spoke to the group, and he was right up front. He said the party strategy in Congress would be to oppose and obstruct—he actually used those words—every bill that was introduced by the new administration, and they would issue talking points to the group about what to say to the press and media when the new administration announced policy initiatives.”
“Every bill? Every policy? No matter what?”
“Every single one. They said they would find ways to peck to death any bill or policy. The rationale for each set of talking points will be created and laid out in the circulated memo.”
“Well, that shocks me, too,” Stone said. “They don’t even know what policy initiatives she’s going to issue.”
“They can guess from Mrs. Lee’s campaign speeches.”
“What do you want me to do with this information?” Stone asked.
“I want you to get it into the press and media. I want to create a big to-do about this, and I want to blunt their tactics.”
“Those are noble aims,” Stone said, “but you’re going about this in the wrong way.”
“Then how should I go about it?”
“Do you have a pencil?” Stone rummaged in a desk drawer for a business card.
“Yes.”
“Write down this name and number: Carla Fontana. She’s the Washington bureau chief for the
New York Times
.”
He gave the man a number. “That is her private cell number. She’s in a position to do what you’re suggesting, but you have to understand, she’s going to have to know who she’s dealing with.”
“I’m afraid of talking to someone like that on the phone,” the man said.
“Then do this: go to an electronics store and buy two pre-paid cell phones. Mail her one with a note saying you will call her at a specified hour, and that if she takes your call, you’ll have a major story for her. The phones will be untraceable, and if you’re worried about taps, you can always throw them away and buy new ones.”
“That sounds good.”
“But she’s going to need to know your identity. Will she recognize your name?”
“Probably.”
“My advice is to be straight with her—don’t lie to her and don’t conceal your identity from her. She has to trust you if this is going to work.”
“May I tell her you referred me to her?”
Stone thought about that. “Yes, but tell her I don’t know who you are.”
“All right.”
“One more thing,” Stone said. “I’m glad you’re being careful, but are you doing that because you fear some retribution? If they find out, will they destroy your career?”
“If they find out, they may destroy more than that.”
“What does that mean?”
“Thank you for your time, Mr. Barrington.” The man hung up.
Stone was left staring at his phone.
Stone was picked up at home by Dino, and his driver took them to a side entrance of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where the block had been closed to provide parking for the many limousines of the attendees to the high mass for Eduardo Bianchi.
Inside, a boys’ choir was singing something from Beethoven, and there was the quiet hum of influential people greeting one another.
“I’m not sitting with the family,” Dino said.
“Why not?”
“I wasn’t invited, and if I had been I wouldn’t have accepted. It would have caused too much talk.”
“See you afterward, then. Are you going to the house?”
“That, I’m doing.”
“I’ll ride with you, then back with the kids.”
Stone walked to where the two front pews had been set aside for the family and their friends. Stone walked to where Mary Ann sat next to her son, Ben, on the aisle, in the front pew, greeted her quietly, and
“Are you a Republican, Mr… . ?”
“I’d rather not say which party I belong to.”
“Go on, tell me what transpired.”
“Carson spoke to the group, and he was right up front. He said the party strategy in Congress would be to oppose and obstruct—he actually used those words—every bill that was introduced by the new administration, and they would issue talking points to the group about what to say to the press and media when the new administration announced policy initiatives.”
“Every bill? Every policy? No matter what?”
“Every single one. They said they would find ways to peck to death any bill or policy. The rationale for each set of talking points will be created and laid out in the circulated memo.”
“Well, that shocks me, too,” Stone said. “They don’t even know what policy initiatives she’s going to issue.”
“They can guess from Mrs. Lee’s campaign speeches.”
“What do you want me to do with this information?” Stone asked.
“I want you to get it into the press and media. I want to create a big to-do about this, and I want to blunt their tactics.”
“Those are noble aims,” Stone said, “but you’re going about this in the wrong way.”
“Then how should I go about it?”
“Do you have a pencil?” Stone rummaged in a desk drawer for a business card.
“Yes.”
“Write down this name and number: Carla Fontana. She’s the Washington bureau chief for the
New York Times
.”
He gave the man a number. “That is her private cell number. She’s in a position to do what you’re suggesting, but you have to understand, she’s going to have to know who she’s dealing with.”
“I’m afraid of talking to someone like that on the phone,” the man said.
“Then do this: go to an electronics store and buy two pre-paid cell phones. Mail her one with a note saying you will call her at a specified hour, and that if she takes your call, you’ll have a major story for her. The phones will be untraceable, and if you’re worried about taps, you can always throw them away and buy new ones.”
“That sounds good.”
“But she’s going to need to know your identity. Will she recognize your name?”
“Probably.”
“My advice is to be straight with her—don’t lie to her and don’t conceal your identity from her. She has to trust you if this is going to work.”
“May I tell her you referred me to her?”
Stone thought about that. “Yes, but tell her I don’t know who you are.”
“All right.”
“One more thing,” Stone said. “I’m glad you’re being careful, but are you doing that because you fear some retribution? If they find out, will they destroy your career?”
“If they find out, they may destroy more than that.”
“What does that mean?”
“Thank you for your time, Mr. Barrington.” The man hung up.
Stone was left staring at his phone.
Stone was picked up at home by Dino, and his driver took them to a side entrance of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where the block had been closed to provide parking for the many limousines of the attendees to the high mass for Eduardo Bianchi.
Inside, a boys’ choir was singing something from Beethoven, and there was the quiet hum of influential people greeting one another.
“I’m not sitting with the family,” Dino said.
“Why not?”
“I wasn’t invited, and if I had been I wouldn’t have accepted. It would have caused too much talk.”
“See you afterward, then. Are you going to the house?”
“That, I’m doing.”
“I’ll ride with you, then back with the kids.”
Stone walked to where the two front pews had been set aside for the family and their friends. Stone walked to where Mary Ann sat next to her son, Ben, on the aisle, in the front pew, greeted her quietly, and
Similar Books
